Kentucky sheriff charged with fatally shooting judge deposed in rape-related case days earlier

A Kentucky sheriff charged with fatally shooting a judge inside his chambers on Thursday was accused in a lawsuit earlier this week of failing to investigate claims that a local deputy was sexually assaulting women who were under house arrest.  

Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines, 43, was deposed in a lawsuit filed Monday by two women, one of whom alleged that a deputy forced her to have sex inside the same judge’s chambers where the shooting took place. The woman claims the deputy repeatedly sexually assaulted her for six months in exchange for staying out of jail. 

The lawsuit accuses the sheriff of “deliberate indifference in failing to adequately train and supervise” the deputy.

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Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Stines in his booking photo. Stines is charged with one count of first-degree murder in relation to the shooting death of District Judge Kevin Mullins. (Leslie County Detention Center via AP)

The deposition came just three days before District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was shot multiple times at the Letcher County courthouse following an argument with Stines in Whitesburg, Kentucky State Police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Stines was taken into custody at the location without incident and was charged with one count of first-degree murder, police said. He is being held at nearby Leslie County Detention Center, two counties away.

It is unclear what the pair were arguing about or if it was in any way related to the lawsuit. 

The lawsuit stems from a case involving the now-former deputy sheriff, Ben Fields, who pleaded guilty in January to raping a female prisoner while she was on home incarceration. 

Fields, who formerly worked as a deputy jailer, was sentenced this year to six months in jail and then six and a half years on probation for rape, sodomy, perjury and tampering with a prisoner monitoring device, The Mountain Eagle reported. Three charges related to a second woman were dismissed because she is now dead, having died from a drug overdose.

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District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, left, was allegedly killed by Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines, 43, in his judge’s chambers, authorities said. (Kentucky Court of Justice; Letcher County Sheriff’s Office)

Prisoners under house arrest are required to pay for electronic monitoring, and the women claimed Fields told them he would not make them pay for the monitoring if they would do him “a favor,” per the outlet. 

Fields disabled the women’s devices and told the monitoring company that bail conditions had been changed, so the devices were not required. He then used threats of arrest to force the women to have sex with him, according to The Mountain Eagle.

The killing of the judge sent shock waves through the tight-knit Appalachian town. Whitesburg is the county seat of government with about 1,700 residents located about 145 miles southeast of Lexington.

Lead county prosecutor Matt Butler described an outpouring of sympathy as he recused himself and his office from the investigation, citing social and family ties to Mullins.

“We all know each other here. … Anyone from Letcher County would tell you that Judge Mullins and I married sisters and that we have children who are first cousins but act like siblings,” Butler said in a statement from his office to the Associated Press. “For that reason, among others, I have already taken steps to recuse myself and my entire office.”

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The judge was killed Thursday at Kentucky’s Letcher County Courthouse. (Google Maps)

Mullins served on the bench in the 47th Judicial District where he oversaw juvenile matters, city and county ordinances, misdemeanors, traffic offenses, arraignments, felony probable cause hearings, claims involving $2,500 or less, civil cases involving $5,000 or less, voluntary and involuntary mental commitments and domestic violence cases, according to the court website. 

He has served as a district judge in Letcher County since he was appointed by former Gov. Steve Beshear in 2009 and elected the following year. Mullins promoted substance abuse treatment for people involved in the justice system and helped hundreds of residents enter inpatient residential treatment, according to a program for a drug summit he spoke at in 2022. 

Fox News’ Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.